On the dramatic day The Wall came down—November 9, 1989— I got a call from my boss at ABC News Radio. “Get on tonight’s flight to Berlin.” For a young network news reporter, it was a dream assignment. Over the next two weeks, armed with a portable cassette recorder, notepad and microphone, I covered many … Continue reading What Happens When the World Changes in a Single Day
All the awful things about the coronavirus crisis are obvious — from the economic calamity and disruption of social distancing to the virus itself. But for podcasters, there are opportunities as well challenges. When the pandemic erupted, our team at “How Do We Fix It?” had to react in a hurry. We tossed our spring program … Continue reading We tore up our podcast schedule. Today we’re scrappy & immediate.
“Beyond $1 Billion” podcast panel at 2019 Advertising Week. Not so long ago podcasting was barely noticed by the powers that be at Advertising Week, the annual mega-conference in New York for advertising and marketing executives. Our medium was just a little outhouse in the backyard of a mighty media mansion that was dominated by … Continue reading Why the growth of podcasting is part of a much bigger trend: The microphoning of America.
Podcasting, by its very nature, is an optimistic endeavor. From venture capitalists and big media firms who’ve poured huge sums of money into risky podcast ventures, to small teams of independent producers, we are all making a big bet that our shows will reach their intended audience. The enthusiasm and passion that we express for … Continue reading Be Positive When You Send Texts, email, and Make Podcasts: That’s So Much Better Than Saying “No”.
I’m a bit old school. While podcasting occupies much of my time each day, a long-established habit of slowly leafing through the pages of newspapers continues to be a source pleasure. Print discoveries are made without digital nudges from algorithms. Among my favorite finds last week was in the “C-Suite Strategies” section of The Wall … Continue reading Listening Numbers Are Booming, But Even Spotify Doesn’t Know If It Will Make Money From Podcasts.
Podcasting is now mainstream and has just moved into a new phase. Let’s call it the 2nd Wave. While most media content producers no longer need convincing that they should be doing podcasts, they’re also starting to realize that this medium is unique and that they don’t know how to make them. Unique how? - … Continue reading Why we listen to podcasts and what makes them different from radio and other forms of communication.
Despite many recent efforts to debunk Malcolm Gladwell’s famous “10,000 hour rule”, there is a good deal of truth to what he says. The New Yorker writer, author and podcaster claimed that the key to success in any field, is simply a matter of practicing a specific task for 20 hours a week for 10 … Continue reading Prep, preview, pivot: How almost anyone can ask great questions and do a great podcast interview.
I hate to dump on "The Daily". Apart from editing and producing our own shows, this brilliant New York Times podcast takes up more of my listening time than any other. For news junkies, "The Daily" is part of our weekday morning routine. The show's genial and ever curious host, Michael Barbaro, is like a … Continue reading Simple storytelling and the Radiolabification of podcasting.
Friction is the thing. It's not as easy, convenient or simple as it should be to discover podcasts, or find shows that fit your range of interests. Confusion and complexity are holding us back. The first barrier for wannabe podcast listeners is the prompt. iTunes and other platforms suggest that you "subscribe." But this is a … Continue reading The f-word podcasters think the most about is….
How to ask questions (2). The third in a series on podcasting. As soon as I published some thoughts on how podcasters can do even better interviews than they record already (my previous blog), I started getting friendly feedback. Some of it comes from close to home. Miranda Shafer, the senior producer of “How Do … Continue reading The beauty of asking dumb questions.
Here Hear! 